The biggest tech show of the year usually provides a glimpse into the future. But CES 2021 was all about the past year of pandemic life.

The biggest tech show of the year usually provides a glimpse into the future. But CES 2021 was all about the past year of pandemic life.

The biggest theme at CES 2021 was adapting to the changes in life brought on by COVID-19.

Smart masks with built-in microphones, robots that can disinfect with UV light, and laptops that are better equipped for Zoom calls were among the highlights.

That represents a departure for CES, which is usually about envisioning the future of tech, transportation, health, and the home than reflecting on the past year.

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The most exciting part of the annual CES tech show, which typically takes place in Las Vegas but was virtual for the first time in 2021, is always the extravagant, forward-looking technology concepts.

Whether it's flying taxis, futuristic cars without steering wheels, or giant modular TVs the size of an entire wall, CES has an earned a reputation for establishing what's coming over the next decade rather than the next year in tech.

But just as the COVID-19 pandemic has altered every aspect of life, it's also changed the year's biggest tech event.

The virtual version of CES still had all the hallmarks of the classic annual trade show, like phones with flexible, rollable screens and autonomous home robots. Yet it also felt pegged to the current moment in